ARCADIA, Calif. – The morning after reaching the pinnacle of her racing career, trainer Kathy Ritvo was both excited and contemplative over what she and her horse, Mucho Macho Man, had accomplished in winning the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Santa Anita.

“It’s hard to beat today, or yesterday,” Ritvo said Sunday morning as she stood near her prized horse.

It’s also, she said, hard to beat what has happened to her in the six years since she underwent heart transplant surgery.

Handle at the Breeders’ Cup rose for the first time in three years this year, despite the event having one fewer race this year.

According to the charts of the races, held Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita, handle on the 14 races this year was $135.5 million, up 6.8 percent compared to preliminary reported handle of $126.8 million on 15 races last year. (The results do not include separate-pool wagering, which is typically added into the totals within a week of the event.) Last year's Breeders' Cup also was held at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. - A roller-coaster day of experiences and emotions ended on a down note for trainer Bob Baffert, who watched Game On Dude finish far back as the 8-5 favorite in Saturday’s $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

Contesting a hot pace while three-wide under Mike Smith, Game On Dude faded to ninth in the stretch, beaten 11 1/2 lengths.

[BREEDERS' CUP SATURDAY: Video replays and race results]

ARCADIA, Calif. – A year ago, Gary Stevens was working in broadcasting for NBC. Six years ago, Kathy Ritvo was nearly dead, the victim of a failing heart.

On Saturday, in tandem, Stevens and Ritvo completed the comeback story of the year. Stevens, a Hall of Fame jockey who returned to riding early in the year, and Ritvo, able to follow her passion of training with a transplanted heart in her chest, won the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic with Mucho Macho Man, who survived a thrilling three-horse duel to the wire that captivated the crowd of 58,795 at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Decline can come quickly for horses of a certain age who have raced brilliantly through multiple seasons. Witness Royal Delta’s lackluster showing Friday in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The 6-year-old Wise Dan is in his fourth year of racing. Over the summer he looked invincible, but Silver Max halted his nine-race winning streak Oct. 5 in the Shadwell Mile. Even trainer Charlie LoPresti, in the back of his mind, wondered if time and racing had taken a toll.

Wise Dan is not done yet.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Secret Circle, a horse who wasn’t on anybody’s radar screen a month ago, emerged as the leading candidate to win a division championship after overcoming an eventful trip to register a neck victory over the fast-closing Laugh Track on Saturday at Santa Anita in the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

ARCADIA, Calif. – There was no illusion or tricks to Magician’s win in Saturday’s $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita.

In his first start since a ninth-place finish in the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, Magician ($25) made his first start over 1 1/2 miles on turf and took to the distance with ease, winning by a half-length over The Fugue, the 3-2 favorite.

The first two finishers were the only European-based runners in the field of 12 and continued a remarkable weekend of success for horses from that continent at the Breeders’ Cup.

ARCADIA, Calif. – When giving instructions how to ride New Year’s Day in Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, trainer Bob Baffert told jockey Martin Garcia to ignore all the chatter about a speed bias at Santa Anita.

“I just told Martin ‘Don’t ride the track, just ride the horse,’ ” Baffert said.

[BREEDERS' CUP SATURDAY: Video replays and race results]

ARCADIA, Calif. - Some things never change with Mizdirection. She’s unbeatable on Santa Anita’s turf course, especially in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on the track’s hillside course.

Mizdirection won the 2012 Turf Sprint in a 6-1 upset after a layoff of more than five months. Saturday, Mizdirection did it again, winning the $1 million BC Turf Sprint in her first start since early June.

This time, her backers were ready.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The majority said Groupie Doll had lost a step or two, and they were proved absolutely correct when the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint was run Saturday at Santa Anita – although it did them little good.

Instead of powering off to win by 4 1/2 lengths, as she did last year as an odds-on favorite, all Groupie Doll did this year was win by a half-length as a lukewarm favorite, probably clinching another divisional championship and rendering her trainer, Buff Bradley, a veritable puddle of emotion.